Craig Howie will take a one-stroke lead into the final day of the B-NL Challenge Trophy after posting a four under par round of 67 at The Dutch.
The Scotsman carded six birdies and two bogeys to move one shot clear of overnight leader Marcus Helligkilde, who signed for a level par round of 70.
The 27-year-old was proud of his performance as The Dutch showed its teeth on moving day, with high winds and firm greens making playing conditions extremely tough.
“I’m really pleased,” he said. “It was a tricky day today and I just had to stay patient. It was really windy and I think it was the toughest day so far because I really had to control my shots out there. There was a lot of cross winds which made it difficult and imagine the scoring hasn’t been as low today."
Howie picked up his maiden European Challenge Tour title earlier this season at the Range Servant Challenge by Hinton Golf but has struggled for form since and the Scotsman was delighted to be back firing on all cylinders this week, adding that his long game has been key in setting up birdie opportunities at The Dutch.
“It’s been a tricky couple of months but it’s nice to find some form again and hopefully I can get a win tomorrow.”
“I’m driving it great,” he said. “The first two days I have drove it really well, so it’s made the game a lot easier. When you’re approaching the green from the fairways it’s easier to make birdies and hopefully, I can keep doing that tomorrow.”
Six players share third place on eight under par, including Spaniard Alfredo Garcia-Heredia and Northern Irishman Michael Hoey, who carded a six under par round of 65.
The final round of the B-NL Challenge Trophy will begin at 8am local time, with Howie teeing it up alongside Helligkilde at 10:56am.
